Baitfish Primer

The Baitfish Primer, one of DFO’s most popular publications, is now available as a mobile app! Compatible with iOS or Android devices, the Baitfish Primer App is free to download from Google Play or the App Store. The new app allows biologists, hobbyists and anglers to easily identify which baitfishes are legal to use in Ontario’s waters. Ensuring live bait is neither an invasive species that could damage the ecosystem, nor a species at risk, is a critical element in protecting the Great Lakes and all Ontario waterways.

The Baitfish Primer app includes a unique identification tool that can help anyone identify the baitfishes of Ontario. The app also allows users to directly report any aquatic invasive species they find to the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters’ Invading Species Hotline and their online and mobile tool, EDDMapS Ontario – information is then shared with DFO and the Province of Ontario. By reporting sightings, users are assisting the front-line efforts to protect Canada’s ecosystems from invaders.

The Baitfish Primer was developed by Fisheries and Oceans Canada in partnership with the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry and the Bait Association of Ontario. Special thanks to Central and Arctic’s Aquatic Invasive Species and Species At Risk programs and the University of Toronto Scarborough.